The contest served as the featured preliminary bout of Saturday’s “Strikeforce: Barnett vs. Kharitonov” event at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati.

The five-bout preliminary card aired on HDNet and preceded the evening’s Showtime-broadcast main card.

Kyle moved forward confidently at the opening bell, and he found an early home for a right hand to the jaw. But de Lima appeared unaffected and stayed firm in the pocket. Kyle added low kicks to his attack as the two both looked willing to trade in the opening minutes. His opponent answered in kind, but it was Kyle who as the aggressor in the early going.

Kyle appeared to stun de Lima in the latter stages of the round, though it was difficult to tell how earnest the Brazilian’s display of pain truly was. Kyle remained patient and utilized a crisp jab to score additional points rather than just rush in for a finish and risk a counter.

When the frame ended, it appeared de Lima was indeed stunned, and Kyle looked extremely comfortable as he prepped for the second frame.

In the second, de Lima appeared a little more energized to open, and the exchanges between the two became a little more back-and-forth in nature. Kyle still remained composed in the pocket, but de Lima had more success with both his hands and feet. Kyle earned a pair of takedowns in the final minute, and the action carried on despite de Lima’s insistence he was kneed in the groin. Kyle was unable to do any real damage with the fight on the floor, but the takedowns helped punctuate his work in the round.

As the final round opened, de Lima again seemed lively in his attack. But Kyle did an excellent job of maintaining distance and peppering his foe with crisp jabs. Kyle again took the fight to the floor in the final two minutes, and he maintained top position until the final bell. In the end, Kyle was awarded a clear-cut unanimous-decision win.

Following the victory, Kyle crediting his training partners at American Kickboxing Academy for the positive result.

“It’s all about your team and the sparring partners you have,” Kyle said.

Highly touted prospect Yoel Romero laid an egg in his Strikeforce debut, refusing to engage for much of his light heavyweight affair with Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante before ultimately falling victim to a highlight-reel knockout.

Romero opened cautiously, dancing around on the outside. A missed flying kick was the only real offense from Romero in the opening minutes. He was tagged by a low kick and immediately shook his head to signal it didn’t affect him, but he still neglected to push forward.

The boobirds came out as Romero continued to dance at distance, and Cavalcante was forced to reach from distance with punches that largely missed. Romero again shook his head after a kick slapped his legs, and he finally earned an official warning for inactivity from referee Dan Miragliotta.

One the restart, Romero stuck out his chin following a failed takedown attempt, and the end of the first round was met with a raucous chorus of boos.

Romero finally opened up a touch in the second, but a kick landed directly on Cavalcante’s cup. Romero apologized, and both fighters finally engaged in earnest on the restart. The two fighters went toe-to-toe in the pocket, with Romero firing off heavy hooks. Cavalcante survived the rush and answered with a few strikes of his own.

Romero continued to shake off Cavalcante’s kicks, but it was “Feijao” actually scored a brief takedown. Back on the feet, Romero snuck in a few more powerful hooks in the closing moments of a bizarre second round, but it was a crisp spinning backfist from Cavalcante that did the real damage.

After a missed high kick, the Brazilian followed with the spinning strike. Romero collapsed in a heap, and while he briefly worked back to his feet, Cavalcante was relentless in pursuit and finished his opponent with a flurry of punches and a well-timed knee.

Following the win, Cavalcante admitted Romero’s style was a bit maddening.

“I’m here to put on a good show for you,” Cavalcante said. “I don’t step into the octagon to run, run, run all the time. I get into the octagon to finish the fight.”

Former Strikeforce champ Cavalcante (11-3 MMA, 4-2 SF) rebounds from a March title loss to Dan Henderson and is now 4-1 in his past five fights. Romero (4-1 MMA, 0-1 SF) loses for the first time as a professional.

Santos opened the matchup with several crisp low kicks, but Mein was there to answer in kind, and the two continually battered each other’s lead leg. Mein started to switch stances as the frame wore on, and he briefly hit the deck when he was swept to the floor. A big right hand in the closing minute was Santos’ best punch, but the leg kicks had Mein limping back to his corner after the opening round.

Mein looked a little more lively in the second, firing punches with greater frequency. Santos continued to work on his opponent’s legs with snapping kicks. Mein used his reach advantage to land a few straight punches, and he peppered the body with combinations on a handful of occasions. Santos kept it close with his kicking attack, but it was Mein who seemed the more aggressive fighter in the frame.

With the fight seemingly up for grabs in the final frame, Mein went to work.

Mein started the final series with a bodyshot that stunned Santos, but he finished with a series of brutal downward elbows that rocked his opponent and send him crumbling to the canvas. Santos couldn’t answer the impressive attack, and the fight was waved off at the 3:18 mark.

“I’m happy that I actually finished the fight,” Mein said after the win. “That’s what I’m going for every time.”

In the evening’s lone female contest, Canadian Alexis Davis survived an early charge from Brazilian slugger Amanda Nunes en route to a come-from-behind second-round TKO.

The two went toe-to-toe from the opening bell, and Davis worked hard to keep the action tight while weathering the early storm from her hard-striking opponent. Unable to find the distance necessary to score a knockout blow, Nunes took the fight to the floor and tried to work from top position. However, Davis didn’t take much damage before escaping back to the feet.

As the round wore on, Davis tried to attack the legs with sharp kicks, but it was Nunes who seemed to land the stiffer blows with counter punches over the top. Despite claiming the round, Nunes did sport a hematoma on her forehead.

In the second, Davis again pushed into a clinch and threatened with a submission attack as she rolled and looked for options. But Nunes battled through the efforts and went back to work on the feet.

The action stagnated for much of the frame but was ignited when Nunes scored a beautiful hip toss and moved into mount. However, Davis immediately swept to the top, then took the back when Nunes rolled. Unable to secure a choke, Davis rattled-off rapid-fire punches, forcing the stoppage with just seven seconds remaining in the frame.

“I knew Amanda was going to come out banging,” Davis said following the win. “I was just working on closing the distance since she has a longer reach than me – tried to stay in tight.

“She has awesome takedowns, but with my jiu-jitsu, I was able to capitalize. I was really working on maintaining position and using my positioning to strike.”
With the win, Davis (11-4 MMA, 2-0 SF) has now earned three-straight victories. Nunes (6-2 MMA, 1-1 SF) sees a six-fight win streak snapped.

Steele outlasts Mierzwiak in Buckeye battle

In the night’s first contest, Ohio-based middleweights Dominique Steele and Chris Mierzwiak combined for a rousing three-round affair that quickly turned into a war of attrition.

Mierzwiak shot in for an early takedown and after a mad scramble nearly locked in an inverted triangle choke. Steele escaped and looked to turn the tide with heavy striking on the feet, but it was a crisp Mierzwiak knee that did the most damage in the exchanges.

After dropping Steele with said strike, Mierzwiak followed to the floor and worked immediately to the back. Mierzwiak worked hard for the choke, but Steel turned into the hold and worked back to the feet, where he again looked to tee off with piston-like punches. The two went hard until the bell, earning a healthy applause from the evening’s early arrivers.

In the second, it was Steele who opened as the aggressor, narrowly missing with a few key strikes and then quickly bringing the action to the floor. Mierzwiak threatened with submissions from his back, but it was Steele who proved more effective from the top. When the two retruned to the feet, Mierzwiak looked exhausted from the wear, and Steele pushed forward with powerful strikes.

Steele dropped Mierzwiak with a right hand and then teed off from a crucifix position. Mierzwiak did little to defend from the floor but somehow lasted until the third.

The pace slowed dramatically in the final round, but Steele took early control by flooring an off-balance Mierzwiak with a right hand and moving into top position. Mierzwiak again tried to work submission from underneath, and he deftly transitioned to the back with a little more than a minute remaining. But Steele again spun into the position, finishing the fight on top.

In the end, Steele was handed a unanimous decision win, 29-28, 29-27 and 29-27.

“It went well,” Steele said after the fight. “He’s a good opponent. I tried to keep it action-packed and tried to keep it non-stop. Control was working for me.

“My plan was to keep it on the feet, but when I saw him getting tired I took it to the ground. I wish Chris all the best of luck.”

With the win, Steele (4-1 MMA, 1-0 SF) has now earned four-straight wins since dropping his professional debut. Meanwhile, Mierzwiak (3-1 MMA, 0-1 SF) loses for the first time as a pro.

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